The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for improving digital image processing.
Digital imaging devices, such as digital cameras and scanners, create digital representations of images and store the digital representations to data files for future use and manipulation. Data file names are created either automatically or entered in manually by the user. Conventional digital imaging devices that create filenames automatically typically use consecutive alphanumeric filenames, such as xe2x80x9cxxx0001.jpgxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cxxx0002.jpgxe2x80x9d, to label the data files. While the files are labeled automatically, the file name created by the device has no relevance to the contents or description of the image. Nondescriptive filenames make organizing, indexing, sorting and retrieval of these files difficult and time consuming.
Some conventional imaging devices allow the use of descriptive file names, but these file names must be entered by the user. In conventional scanning devices, for example, pages to be scanned are loaded into a document feeder. The user specifies scan settings, including a file name for the stored image. The user must enter a descriptive name, such as xe2x80x9ccapecod1.xe2x80x9d When the user indicates that the desired settings are chosen by, for example, pressing a button, the scanned image is then saved as the indicated file name.
Some conventional digital cameras create a file name for the image file using data from an internal clock that is used also for automatic time stamping. These conventional devices may create, for example, an alphanumeric file name for a standard JPEG file of 050198182350.JPG for an image created on May 1, 1998 at 6:23 pm 50 seconds. The date and time information may also be integrated with the digital image information. This information is useful for retrieving an image based on date and time of creation. Conventional automatic digital imaging devices, however, do not stamp a digital image recording with other information useful for recalling an image, such as the location of the capture or the event associated with the image, such as a picnic, birthday or other event.
Some commercially available digital cameras are combined with global positioning system (GPS) receivers that collect and store position data describing the position of the camera at the time it acquired an image. These cameras, however, simply stamp the image data with the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates which do not allow for easy recognition by others of the location where the image was acquired. They do not, for example, translate the coordinates into easily recognizable place names like xe2x80x9cCape Cod.xe2x80x9d
Methods, systems, and articles for manufacture consistent with the present invention overcome the shortcomings of existing systems by providing methods and means for labeling digital image data. According to one aspect of the invention, a digital image is acquired using a digital imaging device. A menu of descriptive terms is displayed to a user and the user selects at least one of the descriptive terms for association with the digital image file. In another aspect of the invention, an audio input device provides the digital imaging device with an audio signal containing at least one descriptive term. The descriptive term in the audio signal is associated with the digital image data file. In yet another aspect of the invention, a location determination device provides the digital imaging device with location information representing a geographic location where the digital image was acquired. The location information is associated with the digital image data file.